How to make a mouse pad with your own hands

To save on buying a computer mouse pad, you can make the product yourself. There are many materials you can use to make a rug. They are all very affordable and you can find something that suits you at home. The quality of a handmade rug is not inferior to a factory product.

How to make your own mouse pad

To create a rug, we will need to find a material that could become the basis of the product. It should be smooth and easy to process. In addition to the material, we need scissors to cut the required piece. We may also need additional equipment such as glue or paper for decoration. The choice is entirely up to the individual. You can experiment to make the product the way its owner wants.

What can you make a mouse pad from?

There are many materials that can become the basis for creating a rug. Among them:

1. Linoleum. The material is very smooth and easy to process. It will be an excellent basis for the product.
2. Cardboard. It can be taken from any shoe box or household appliance box. Cardboard is also very easy to process, but there is a risk that it will slide a lot on the surface. Therefore, a substrate is needed.
3. Leather. You can cut a piece from an old jacket or bag.
4. Organic glass.Working with this material is more difficult than with others. Therefore, this method is recommended to be chosen only by people who know how to work with organic glass. But such a product can become a good competitor to store-bought ones not only in functionality, but also in appearance.
5. Plastic napkin. Kitchen appliance. In most cases, the shape of the product already corresponds to the required parameters, and no processing is required.
6. Rubber product. We just need smooth surface rubber with the appropriate dimensions.
7. Play mat. A bit similar to the previous method, but we already have a ready-made product purchased in the store. Simply cut to the required size. Play mats are made of rubber and are sold in stores.
8. You can use fabric. It is important that there are no holes in it and no gaps between the fibers.
9. If you often buy a mouse, or rarely use the device, you can do without a mouse pad. The backing is not a mandatory item, but rather helps make working at the computer more convenient. The product is needed to avoid scratches and streaks on the table (they form if you move the mouse).

Additional materials

There are additional materials that can temporarily replace a mouse pad. Any product with a smooth surface is suitable as a substrate. For example:

1. A notebook with a varnished cover (the number of sheets does not matter).
2. Tile.
3. Hardcover book.
4. Cardboard.
5. Paper in a file.
6. Envelope. The dimensions of the product are slightly smaller than necessary, but it can be a good temporary substitute for a rug.
7. Magazine.

These are the most common replacement methods. But the house is full of other things that can become a substrate.It is important that they are in perfect contact with the surface of the mouse.

Attention! It is not recommended to use glass products as a substrate. They reflect light and this may damage the product. There is also a risk that the light will be reflected directly into a person's eyes.

DIY mouse pad: step by step

The process of making a rug will differ depending on the material chosen. For example:

1. If linoleum is chosen, we need to cut a piece 20 cm wide and 25 cm high. It is recommended to round the edges of the product to avoid scratches while working at the computer. You can glue any photo or drawing to the linoleum using glue.
2. Cardboard. We simply cut out a piece of cardboard of the same dimensions as in the previous method. The edges also need to be rounded. You can decorate the product with colored paper. You also need to place something under the mat to prevent it from slipping.
3. Leather. Cut out a round piece of material. The leather is very thin, so it may not be a great substitute. If you encounter this problem, it is better to cut 2 identical pieces and glue them together. If you don't want to work with glue, you can sew the edges together. And to create a beautiful appearance, acrylic paint is applied to the skin.
4. Plastic napkin. If the shape is a little larger than expected, simply trim off the excess.
5. If fabric is selected, several pieces are glued together to create the required thickness. The main thing is that the result is a smooth product.
6. Organic glass. Just cut out a piece of the required size. No additional equipment is needed. But if we want to make a glowing mat, we need to place LEDs on it, attach a USB port and connect it to a laptop.
7. Rubber. The material lends itself well to processing.If the shape turns out to be incorrect, it can always be changed by melting the material. But it is better not to resort to this, since there is a risk of ruining the smoothness of the product.
8. Play mat. Cut out a piece of appropriate size.

Most of the methods listed are suitable for a laser mouse. If a ball design is chosen, not all methods are suitable, but only those that provide a hard surface for the mat. For example, the option with leather and fabric is out of the question, but cardboard and linoleum are suitable.